Ralph Puckett Jr., awarded Medal of Honor for heroism during the Korean War, dies at 97

By RUSS BYNUM
Associated Press

A retired U.S. Army colonel who was awarded the Medal of Honor for heroism during the Korean War has died at age 97. A funeral home says that Ralph Puckett Jr. died Monday at his home in Columbus, Georgia. President Joe Biden presented Puckett with the Medal of Honor in 2021, more than seven decades after Puckett was seriously wounded leading an outnumbered company of Army Rangers in battle. Puckett refused a medical discharge and served as an Army officer for another 20 years before retiring in 1971. Puckett received the U.S. military’s highest honor following a policy change that lifted a requirement for medals to be given within five years of a valorous act.